On Tuesday, the Town of Apex revealed during its town council work session that 4,045 of its utility customers have past-due balances totaling $4,717,600.
Apex reinstated late fees and disconnections for utility accounts on July 1. Penalties for late payments were paused for two years, following a 2024 cyberattack that affected the town’s billing system.
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The 3,670 past-due residential customers owe an average of $1,101. The highest amount owed is $19,647.
Apex said a total of 498 residential customers are enrolled in a payment plan, which allows customers to pay back their owed balance over a period of time without late fees or disconnections.
"What went through my head? How do we move forward?" Mayor Jacques Gilbert told WRAL. "We have to accept that, first of all, no one wanted to be in this position; it's not only impacting our residents, but it's affecting our staff. It's been day to day to try to figure this out because this is a unique circumstance."
During a meeting Tuesday, town leaders discussed potential disconnections for nonpayments starting at the end of September. The town's utility staff said they've shared inserts, social media alerts, and other forms of communication for impacted customers who may need to utilize a payment plan, but are worried that some with the highest outstanding bills would still risk disconnection, even if they're on a payment plan.
“Our goal is not to disconnect service. Our goal is to provide clean, reliable water, safe, reliable energy, and then there's a payment for the use of that service,” said Deputy Town Manager Shawn Purvis. “We're trying to work through what that looks like, knowing that we do have a responsibility and legal obligation to collect to the best of our ability.”
The town urges customers with a past-due balance to request a payment plan. Town leaders are also considering other initiatives to help customers avoid disconnections and ensure they collect payment.
"We want to open up the space for them to really share with us what's going on and the circumstances so we can work together to resolve the issue," Mayor Gilbert said.